ARCHIVES - 1996 to FOREVER

My body, my old body, is just not standing up too well, I'm afraid. Hurt all over, just from working. But it's really my mind that's doing the damage.

I have gone, in just a few short months, from loving my work to really actively disliking being there. At work, I mean. Uh, let me back up, I love my work, but I'm really beginning to actively hate my job.

It's simply a matter of, on the one hand, feeling that I'm wanted and needed, and on the other hand, feeling that I'm just a cog, highly replaceable and without any feelings worthy of consideration.

Part of it is the act of administration of not allowing food and drinks in the workplaces. While this is mandated by law (due to very real dangers of contamination of food/drink with medications and/or bodily wastes) the reality of the situation is this: an arbitrary decision by the administration to ban food/drink in almost every place except for designated break rooms and the cafeteria.

And they have the right to do this, and I have the right to find employment elsewhere.

But there was no effort made for maybe changing things a little bit and making it work to both fulfill the letter and intent of the law *and* keep the employees happy. And it really seems that they aren't interested in happy employees anyway.

And the morale in the hospital has really dipped, worse that I've seen it in the thirty-four years that I've been there. And there have been some really low times there, let me tell you.

And the cure, of course, is, as in almost every situation, compromise. But they have no desire for compromise, and we have no power to do anything but leave.

And this whole thing is not seen as a problem per se, but the most glaring symptom of a far deeper problem.

Old as the hills.

Management vs labor.

They push, push, push until they get what they want, then they want more, more, more.

There was a day, long ago, when labor unions were necessary.

Then the laws caught up, and rights were established, and there were compromises, and the country did just fine.

But just lately (and you all knew that this was coming) BabyBush has decided that the laws weren't very favorable to his corporate buddies, and so the general erosion of worker's rights started.

Where will it end? Damfino, but I'm fearful of where we're going at my place of employment. O'well, eight more years.